The Welsh Government and Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board have announced that outpatient and elective ophthalmology services activity is to be increased.

This comes after the Member of the Welsh Parliament for Aberconwy raised concerns about the fact that the total number of patient pathways waiting for an outpatient appointment and assessed as Health Risk Factor R1, which means that there is a risk of irreversible harm or significant patient adverse outcome if the target date is missed, has increased from 28,886 in October 2019 to 39,003 in April 2023.

Responding to a question by Janet Finch-Saunders MS, Eluned Morgan MS, Minister for Health and Social Services, stated:

“The health board’s plan to increase productivity in this area includes the introduction of evening appointments during the summer, supporting community eyecare practitioners to treat more people in the community, the creation of advanced optometric posts, and the development of a retinopathy pathway.”

Commenting on the Health Board’s plan, Mrs. Finch-Saunders said: “I welcome the fact that the Minister and Health Board have acted on my request for short term measures to be implemented to combat the fact that there has been a major increase in the number of eye care patients waiting for appointments.

“Time will tell if the additional measures prove effective, but I hope that a lesson has been learnt that patients should not be left in situations where delays could cause irreversible harm.

“I will continue to monitor eye care services so to try and help ensure that there is improved access for residents in Aberconwy and across North Wales.”